A Way Out
by April Blackwood
Summary: Loki finds himself in Asgard prison after his less then successful attack on Midgard - but he isn't there long before someone new shows up. She's horrified, he's amused, and Loki is more then happy to toy with her while he has the chance. After the two have been saddled together in hopes of helping Asgard - Loki just see's her as his way out. (rated M for sex in later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

Six months. Six long, agonizingly dull months. Of course, in reality, when in comparison to the life span of a God, it's been a blink of an eye. Regardless, Loki was all about to lose whatever patience it was he had left. After Thor and his 'friends' had stopped him from taking over Midgard to rule as a benevolent and powerful God, Odin had decided to imprison him in the dungeons for life, instead of just swinging the axe and getting it over with. The latter, at this point, would have been much more preferable. His talents - his _purpose_ - was worthless to him or anyone else while locked in this cell. If Odin wanted to be rid of him he should have just lopped his head off and been done with it - like any decent ruler would have decided. Not that he was fooled into thinking that Odin's _mercy_ had anything to do with compassion for his forsaken son - but everything to do with his mother's pity.

Loki closed the book he had been staring at for the last several minutes and sighed, deciding he wouldn't be getting any information out of it from gazing blankly through its pages. Not that actually reading it would have provided any more knowledge then what he was doing before - he'd read the book a dozen times. He was grateful that his mother - that Frigga - was trying her utmost to provide him with entertainment during his incarceration, but she really wasn't able to keep up with how quickly he'd been digesting all the reading material. Not that it was surprising - being as there wasn't much else to do in a small prison cell.

That was, until she showed up.

Loki could hear the guards before he saw them, their armor clanking and echoing loudly throughout the dungeons. He'd thought it nothing new, just another group of bruised and battered warriors that Thor had beaten to a pulp in his effort to clean up the realms. Yet, there was something peculiar about how the guards sounded as they neared his cell - he could only hear one extra set of footsteps between them - not the usual dozen they brought down at a time. Curious, he lifted himself from his seat at the table and walked over to the clear wall of energy keeping him inside. With his hands clasped tightly behind his back, he leaned in just inches from the wall to peer out at the new prisoner of Asgard.

It was a girl - at least he suspected so - it was difficult to tell with the amount of hair and dirt she had covering her face. The two guards opened the cell directly across from his own and shoved her inside, putting the energy field up before she even had a chance to pull herself off the ground. Loki, after coming to the conclusion that she was, indeed, a girl, thought her to be a child - as she couldn't have stood taller than 5 feet. But, on a closer inspection, found her to be in proportion of an adult female - in all the obvious ways.

This was new - interesting even. He'd never seen someone, expect during his short stay on earth, this size. Her skin was dark with a grey, slightly beige look too it - a bit unusual for a human - and the majority of her coal colored hair was tied up haphazardly on her head. As Loki tried to figure out what disgusting grey and brown dirt covered clothes the girl was wearing, he noticed the multitude of scars that covered the visible parts of her body. Many of which were on her fingers and face, the light marks contrasting against her dark skin and freckles. It soon become clear to him that this wasn't some unfortunate Midgardian that happened to find their way to Asgard, but a species he personally hadn't seen before. Her eyes were almost the same shade as her hair, but the pupil was surrounded by a bright, almost glowing, blue circle. As the girl stumbled around her cell, Loki could get a better view of those eyes, and a smile worked its way on his face as he noticed the slight shimmer in them when hit by the light.

_"Oh, it's nocturnal." _He said to himself, pacing in front of his cell as he followed the new creatures movements. _"That's interesting."_

She hadn't noticed him watching her yet, which was good, but also made him assume her to be a bit slow. Either way, he was curious how a species could possibly go unnoticed by the Asgards - by anyone in the nine realms - for this long. As the shield surrounding his cell was sound proof, he decided to speak to her through unconventional methods.

"Hello," He said plainly, letting his voice echo through the girls head. He watched in amusement as a silent scream came from her mouth and she cupped her hands over her ears. He winced slightly, though he couldn't hear her actually scream, the terror emanating itself from her thoughts was enough to imitate any vocalization of distress.

"Please try to calm down, you're incessant screaming isn't helping anyone," He said to her, his eyes never leaving her horrified figure, "I'm merely speaking to you through your thoughts - these walls are sound proof."

Loki let out an irritated grunt as the creature continued to whirl around her cell in confusion, her eyes landing basically everywhere but him. After several minutes of coaxing, the girl finally turned her attention to him, her hands still held tightly to her ears.

"You're talking to me...in my head?" She said aloud, her thoughts fortunately echoing her question.

"Yes, I am. Now that we've taken care of the semantics here, I'd like to ask you a few things..." Before he had a chance to send out a warning, the girl walked quickly forward to the edge of the cell and placed her hands on the wall of energy. He bit back a sadistic, and exasperated laugh as she was flung back to the ground by a pulse of energy and the thoughts of terror and confusion flooded back into her. Loki didn't have the patience to deal with any more of this, and pressed less then pleasant feelings into her thoughts in an attempt to regain her attention. The girl gripped her head for a moment in pain before he pulled himself back from her, allowing the girl to focus.

"I don't understand what's going on," She thought to him, her eyes now meeting his, "Where am I? Why was I put here?"

"Well it's quite obvious you're confused," He started, now letting his posture become more relaxed, "But unfortunately, I'm unable to answer your questions. As you can see, I'm locked down here with you."

She nodded at him as she picked herself up from the floor, her body noticeably shaking. She inched her way slowly, painfully slowly, to the edge of the cell - careful not to repeat the same mistake again.

"My name is Nora," She said, her eyes wide and her pupils constricted in the bright lights of the room.

"I didn't ask," He replied bluntly, "I'm much more curious as to _what_ you are rather then _who_ you are."

Nora looked taken aback at his curt response and eyed him questionably, suddenly not sure if she should be speaking to him. She now took a moment to look _him_ over, his garments insinuating that he was definitely not your average prisoner. Nora stepped back from her cell wall cautiously, coming to the conclusion that she needed to get her head straight before continuing this conversation - if she could really call this type of thing a conversation.

"Well, who are _you,_" She countered, now coming to terms with her situation, "I'm not about to spill my guts out to some man locked in the cell across from me."

The audacity. The absolute insolence of this creature was astounding. Loki was well aware she knew nothing about his power or importance, but even the most simple minded prisoner could spot a prince at glance, even a forsaken one. He straightened his back and gave her a scowl, turning from her now and taking long strides over to his small table. Nora, worrying she may have just scared away the only person she was able to talk to, advanced towards the wall again, stopping just before the yellow glowing barrier.

"Wait please," She said quickly, "Please, don't go. I don't know what's going on here - I'm sorry if I offended you somehow." Nora waited in agitation, watching as he proceeded to sit in his chair, his back facing her. He wanted to make her suffer for a bit - punish the creature for even daring to ask him a question before answering his own. If he had been out of this cell, had this girl shown such ignorance to his face, he'd have killed her in a second. But, being as he was in a cell and unable to do any real harm to her, he took small satisfaction at watching her squirm uneasily at his silence. After to what seemed like hours to Nora, he turned to her slightly, most of his body still facing away from her.

"Tell me what you are and how you got here creature," Loki said, his expression giving nothing away. She smiled at him now, and let her tense shoulders drop down in relaxation.

"That," She said, her smile growing a little wider now, "Is a long story - and my name is Nora, not_ creature_."

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys! Phew - I haven't written anything in a very long time. It feels really good to finally get my creative juices going again. Just a quick note, this story is rated M for a reason, there will be some sexually mature themes in later chapters, as well as violence (not sexual violence though - they are separate - promise.) I like critiques and reviews, they make me smile and want to continue writing :) so if you want to see more drop me a comment!**

**Also - I'm always super self-conscious about Mary-Sueing it up. I'm trying my utmost to NOT make Nora a you know what, so if you start to feel like her character is becoming one, for the love of Loki (hur hur) let me know.**

**Thanks again folks! I'll update soon :)**


	2. Chapter 2

There was a lot of screaming. She wasn't exactly sure where the voices were coming from, they sounded so far away and almost muted - but that may have been due to the painful throbbing she was feeling in her head. Nora tried to will herself up off the ground, but her body seemed to be rejecting any commands her brain was trying to send it. What had happened? She couldn't really remember much. She was pretty sure she was still in one of the many mines that covered the slave planet, but as to which one, she couldn't say. There had been shooting, and fighting, and Marek must have started it all - like he said he would. It was just so much sooner than she had thought - she has assumed she had more time. Before she had a chance to try and lift her body off the ground, it was done for her. Nora opened her eyes, still in a daze, to see her mother lifting her off the ground.

"Oh God Nora," Her mother said, her voice coming out broken, "I thought you had died! I thought I lost both of you!" Nora's mother ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, bringing it away from her face to get a better look at the damage. Nora's brows creased at the comment and she pulled away slowly from her mother's grip. She started to feel dizzy now, shaking her head slightly in an attempt to register what was going on.

"No," Nora said, a weak smile twitching at the corners of her mouth, "No, no - Marek was right behind me. He was just helping someone off the ground a minute ago." Nora swung around to look out the entrance of the mine - her eyes darting, trying to spot her brother. Her mother gripped her now to turn her back, both her hands gripping the sides of Nora's face.

"Sweetie I need you to focus," she said, her voice becoming very serious, "We need to get out of here. This isn't a rebellion - this is an attack. At first we thought the new ships were here to attack the people that enslaved us, but we were wrong. They're killing everyone Nora." She trailed off for a moment before shutting her eyes and regaining composure.

"Your father is waiting, he managed to hide one of the small transport ships in all the confusion."Nora wished she could have the strength her mother did, her ability to buckle down and do exactly what needed to be done. But she was not her mother, and she was not strong. Nora felt the string of tears start to run down her face. Her mother tried to hush her, attempting to pull her into her breast for comfort, but it was too late. Nora pushed away and braced herself on the side of the mine wall, a gag escaping her lips as her body physically tried to purge itself of the mix of pain and anger that filled her. That the act of puking could somehow dull the pain of lose, and make it all go away. Her mother rubbed her back slowly, telling her to just let it out, and it was going to be ok.

"I know it hurts baby, I know - but you need to get up. You need to move. I'm not sure how long your father can keep the ship hidden away."

Nora nodded wearily, her face still tipped down as if she was ready to wrench again. She stood up straight now, her body shaking fiercely as she tried to steady herself. How was she going to fly a ship if she couldn't even walk? Marek could have done it. He was the one with the plan - the brave one. Nora felt her mother grip her hand and pull her towards the entrance of the mine. As they were about to step out into the light, her mother stopped suddenly, letting go of Nora's hand and ran back down into the darkness of the cave. It didn't take long for Nora to figure out what she was doing, and was happy that her mother remembered what she would have regretted forgetting.

"You almost left this," She said, handing Nora her pickaxe, "I need you to keep this with you. I want you to remember us when you're gone."

Nora took the axe carefully in her hands, letting her fingers slide over the intercut cravings of vines and leaves her and her mother had made. Her mother had told her that by doing this, she would never forgot her home. Her real home. Not the hollowed out moon they resided on now. Nora's eyes moved from the pickaxe to her mother, and she whispered out a thank you before placing the tool in the leather strap she had on her back.

"Now come on," Her mother said, "We need to get over to the west entrance. Your father is waiting for us there. "

Nora and her mother ducked into one of the side caves at the far west end of the dig site, getting down on their hands and knees to fit into the tiny path way. For her mother, this was a simple task. She was smaller than most, standing in at a respectable 4'9, but this allowed her to get into places most couldn't. Nora stuck as close as she could to her mother as they maneuvered their way through the tunnels, finally reaching a large opening where the ship was waiting.

"Faye!" Her father shouted, running towards them, his right hand noticeably injured, "Nora!"

Faye ran at him, a worried look on her face as she forced him to let go of his hurt arm. She cussed under her breath and turned her gaze up to him, placing her soft dark hand on his bearded face.

"Bram, what happened? You said you weren't going to leave the mines."

"They followed us into the mines Faye, they killed almost everyone. I had no other choice but to fight back - I barely made it out. Where's Marek?"

Her mother pinched her lips together in a tight line and looked away. Nora could feel the bile building up in her stomach again, but she forced it back down. She couldn't do this again - not in front of her father. He had enough to worry about. Bram's eyes went wide for a moment as he realized what happened, and turned away from them, running his short stubby fingers through his misshapen hair.

"They'll find us here," He said finally.

"I know, that's why we have to hurry. She needs to use the ship now. I won't lose her Bram. I won't let them take another child from us."

Bram nodded at her solemnly, agreeing completely. He turned his gaze to Nora and motioned her to follow him over to the ship. As she did, she now took the time to notice the ceiling of the cave, or lack thereof. The stars above her head shown bright and she staggered slightly at the thought of being up among them soon.

Her father opened the door of the small ship and helped her up inside it, locking the straps around her tightly. Her father had been a mechanic on their home planet, so figuring out the basics of a one person transport ship was not a problem. Bram started to explain the array of buttons and levers, but noticed all too soon that his daughter had been staring vacantly at him.

"You can do this Nora," Her father said, clasping her hand in his own and gripping it tightly, "You will be safe, and you will be free." and with that, Bram pressed his forehead against Nora's and shut his eyes, whispering an 'I love you' softly before pushing himself away. Nora let go of his hand and gripped the controls in front of her - fearing she would at some point forget everything her father had just told her. She hit the button to the left of her that shut the cabin hatch, and gave her parents a final, fleeting look before it covered her completely. There was no hesitating now, she had to do this - she had to leave. Nora flipped the switches at the top of the dashboard and her heart fluttered with excitement as the ship started to warm up. Then, in one slow movement, she pulled back on the bar in front of her and the ship started to rise, leaving behind clouds of dust as it made its way out of the cave.

If only getting off the planet was as easy as ascending out of the cave. The moment her ship surfaced into the open night sky, she saw the full extent of the battle. She recognized her people, the slaves, as well as the race that had enslaved them. She could not, however, even begin to guess what new creatures had come to slaughter them all. Some of them rode on ships while others seemed to emerge from inside giant flying worms. Nora pushed quickly on the accelerator, blasting herself off in whatever direction she was currently pointing in. The enemy's ships were on her tail in no time, and she found herself barely dodging the array of bullets they fired at her as she made her way farther into space. It wasn't long before the back side of her ship was hit, then the left wing. Nora glanced back at her assailants and wondered momentarily how they were able to fly on such odd ships without a cockpit - completely standing out in open space.

Her body shook when another shot hit the same left wing and warning singles started to go off inside the small ship. This was it - one more shot to the wing and she'd be dead in the water. She would have been right, too, if the giant glowing tear in space hadn't appeared in front of her. It had started off as just a ripple, something Nora could hardly see. Then, all at once, in a blinding show of light, a hole opened up in front of her. Deciding that flying into some insane gap in space was a better option than being captured and tortured to death, she used the rest of the ships power to accelerate herself through the tear. Her ship sat momentarily on the other side of the hole and she noticed that her attacks had refused to follow her through. Then the portal shut.

Nora let out the breath she had been holding in and collapsed back into her seat. She wasn't exactly sure where she had ended up, but she was alone and relatively safe. She started to chuckle lightly at first, her body releasing itself of all it's pent up energy, and before long it turned into outright laughter. She cupped her face in her small shaking hands and laughed into the silence, the tug of tears pushing at the side of her eyes. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't alone, and it didn't take long for the Asgard ships to surround her.

Asgard was beautiful, and she probably would have stood in awe if she wasn't feeling so dirty and drained. That, and the shackles around her hands left a lot to be desired. She had wanted to take her pickaxe with her, but one of the guards stripped it from her back and took it away. Nora was led down a few short flights of stairs before coming to a hallway that was open to the outside. She squinted for a moment, the bright sun hurting her eyes slightly, but they focused enough for her to see the kingdom in full. It was breathtaking, to say the least, and the tall trees and waterfalls instantly reminded her of home - of her real home.

Her view was momentarily obstructed by one of the largest men she had ever seen. She cranked her neck upward to see a pair of blue eyes staring down at her, his face framed with long golden hair. He gave her a polite smile before nodding at the guards and continuing on his way, seeming to have a lot on his mind. The guards' turned her back towards the hallway and down one last flight of stairs before Nora found herself in the dungeons of Asgard.

* * *

"That was a rather long and tedious way of telling me how you got here," Loki said, his back resting on one of the cell walls, "And it all seemed absolutely preposterous. A planet I've never heard of? A giant portal through space?" He turned his head from her and grunted in obvious disbelief of her story. "You also never explained to me who your _people_ are."

Nora, who had been sitting cross legged in front of the clear energy wall now stood, a little irritated with the response he'd given her.

"Well I'm a Myrkviðr," She said as if were obvious, "and I'm originally from a planet called Kolmarden, though I haven't been there in a very, very long time."

Loki regarded her for a moment, almost as if he were deciding whether or not he believed anything she was telling him. It had all sounded so frantic to him - rushed. Why were her people enslaved? By who? More importantly, why had the attacking race seemed so familiar to him by her description? Worst of all, if she was telling him the truth, it meant someone was using the same power as the bifrost to get across space. The girl's story had ended up raising more questions than it answered, which irritated him greatly.

He, like Nora, lifted himself off the ground and fixed his garments as he did. Loki turned from her now, unsatisfied with Nora's answers, and walked towards the stack of books at the back of his cell. Perhaps he could request that his mother bring him some more, one's that may help him figure out why this girl story was causing a sensation of dread to build in him.

Nora watched him carefully as he plucked a book off the top of one of the piles, his long pale fingers griping it lightly as he brought it over with him to the table. With a small thud, Loki placed the book down and flipped it open, his back again turned towards the young girl.

She waited for a moment, fully expecting him to turn back around and start up a conversation. When he didn't, she spoke up.

"So, who are you? I mean, you don't look like an average prisoner," Nora thought to him, "You kind of owe me an answer, after my more than long explanation about myself." No sooner did the words leave her mouth that she saw him physically tighten, and she knew immediately she'd said something she shouldn't have. Loki turned his head to her quickly, pushing his chair back and advancing towards the wall of the cell, getting as close to it as he could.

"I owe you?" He hissed out, his fists clenched at his sides, "I owe you _nothing_ you disgusting creature. You should be _honored _by the fact I even decided to speak to you."

All at once Nora felt a searing pain shoot through her head and she fell to her knees in agony. She let out a small cry while digging the tips of her fingers into her skull, trying whatever she could to quell the unfathomable ache that was emanating through her brain. Loki was smiling, she could see that much, his grin stretching from ear to ear in pure delight. In delight of her pain. Then, as suddenly as the pain had started, it stopped. She turned her head weakly to see the same tall blond man she had before, now standing outside of her cell.

"My father wishes to see you," He said soothingly, recognizing the obvious pain she was in, "he wants to speak with you on how you arrived in Asgard." He then turned his attention to Loki, who had been glaring at the back of his head.

"He would actually like to see both of you, brother."

"Me?" Loki jeered, "Now why would the All-Father want to see his disgraced son?"

"Because I asked him too Loki, I could use your help - and I don't think you're in much of a position to say no."

* * *

**Well, that was long. Thanks for sticking with me on this one folks! I know this may be more OC then many people were hoping for, but I felt I needed to give her a background before proceeding with the story. I promise there will be much more Loki, and Thor, in the up coming chapters (with a special emphasis on more Loki.)  
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**I will repeat that this story is rated M for a reason, and later chapters will get a bit smutty (and when I mean 'a bit' I mean a lot.) So stay tuned for all of _that _fun. Also, if anyone is interested, I have a reference sheet for my character Nora. As I mentioned on my profile, I consider myself and artist first and a writer second - so I drew this before I even started chapter one. (reference sheet is also rated M as she is in a bra in one picture - . )  
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**I love reviews and critiques and happily gobble them up, thanks in advance!  
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*** I made some edits. I let another person read through the chapter and they really helped me sort some things out :)**


	3. Chapter 3

They were both a lot taller than she had originally thought. Nora walked between the giant Norse Gods, the two of them towering over her by more than a foot. She wondered idly if the rest of their race was like this - or if they were just abnormally big. Her species was lucky to hit above 5 feet.

Nora felt exhausted - the day's events seeming to blend into each other creating a giant mass of confusion. She still vaguely felt the light throbbing in her head from the wound she received when escaping her planet, the dry blood now starting to pinch the skin on her face. The ache in her head didn't distract her from the obviously awkward looks the brothers were giving each other. Well, it was more Thor looking over at his brother, and Loki trying his utmost to avoid all eye contact. It would have been funny, if it wasn't so apparent that something very wrong had happened between them.

It wasn't long before they reached the throne room, and Nora's mouth opened slightly in awe of its beauty. Gold. Gold everywhere. so much gold, in fact, that it covered almost every inch of the floor and walls. She quickly spun around, losing her balance for a second, as she tried to take it all in. Thor smiled down at her affectionately, taking obvious pride in her astonishment. Loki, though, hadn't seem to notice her amazement, as he was much too busy scowling at the king.

"Father," Thor began, "This is-" He stopped suddenly, realizing that he hadn't gotten her name. He turned to her for an introduction but Loki beat him to it.

"Her name is Nora, brother," He said pointedly, "Apparently she happened upon a portal while escaping her planet - her people were being slaughtered, that's why she left, and now is here."

Nora physically shivered at the word _slaughtered _and she shut her eyes to try and focus. Loki glanced over at her, a frown still plastered on his face, before looking back at his father. Odin lifted himself from his throne, his expression placid and firm - Nora imagined that's probably where Loki learned it from. The king made his way down the steps and towards his sons, stopping between them to position himself in front of Nora. They stood in silence for a moment, Nora's eyes scanning up his broad figure till she reached his face. _Yup, _she thought _they're all this big. _Odin gave the girl a reassuring smile and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a firm grip.

"Do you remember anything about the people who attacked your planet? Did you know who they were?" He asked evenly.

"I wish I could tell you more sir, but honestly, I don't remember much. I had hit my head during all the confusion," Nora motioned to the dry blood on her face, "and before I really knew what was happening, my parents had shoved me into a ship and sent me off...everyone on the planet was grabbing any transportation they could. The invaders were just killing-" she shut her mouth tightly, forming a thin line and turned away. Odin nodded at her and let go of her shoulder - she actually hadn't even noticed he had still been gripping it.

"That's why I asked you to speak with Loki father," Thor said quickly, "He's by far the most talented person in the kingdom when it comes to magic and mind tricks," He gave his brother a quick glare, "He could view her memories and see if he recognizes anything."

Loki let out a spiteful laugh and gave Thor a mock smile.

"Oh, wait, you were serious brother?" He chuckled and turned from him. "What exactly makes you think I'll just go along with all this? I'd be quite happy to see Asgard _burn._" The tension was palpable as the two stared one another down - their gaze only broken by Odin's voice.

"Loki, you will be able to live outside your cell - but not without an escort." Odin started, "Thor will be with you at all times, and I will make sure to have Heimdall keep a close eye on you."

"That's not really going to work for me. If you wish me to read this mortal's mind, then I must be in complete concentration and _away_ from unwanted distractions." Loki said, indicating towards Thor. Odin was about to protest, before Nora spoke up.

"It's ok, really. I don't want what happened to my people to happen here," she said, her voice showing no hesitation, "If that means I have to be in a room alone with this guy - then I will."

"You know not what you say," Thor started.

"I think she said exactly what she wanted to," Loki retorted, a small grin on his face as his eyes moved from Thor to Nora, the look making her skin start to prickle. Odin walked back to his chair and sat in contemplation, his gaze shifting between the three young people in front of him. He let out an overly exaggerated sigh before nodding.

"You will only be alone during sessions Loki, otherwise Thor will be with you," He finally said, "But first, you must be hungry child. I will let Thor bring you to the dining hall to get you something to eat."

* * *

Nora didn't really feel like she was in an eating mood, though she couldn't deny she was hungry. Now that most of the stress of being in Asgard had passed, she was left with only the grief of losing her family. She knew Marek was dead, even though it pained her to admit it, but it was almost worse not knowing if her parents shared the same fate. Thor, who sat across from her along with the Warriors Three and Sif, leaned over to give her a nudge. Nora's focus shot up from the full plate in front of her to Thor, who looked on at her with concern.

"You do not seem well Lady Nora."

Nora gave him a polite smile and averted her eyes back down at her plate, contemplating how much she was willing to tell. She had, for whatever reason, spilled her guts out to his brother - who now she thought hardly deserved her time. Thor, though, looked so earnest, like he actually wanted to help.

"My brother, Marek, died during the attack."

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that-" Thor started, but she interrupted him.

"He was a great man, you know? Always had plans to help our people escape, constantly talked about our home planet - and how he promised to bring us all back there one day." Nora grinned widely at the memory. "Marek went completely out of his way to help anyone he could - even when it meant putting his own life in danger."

Thor chuckled, his eyes smiling as he turned to the warriors, then back to her. "Tell us about one of his adventures!" He boomed as he passed her a drink - and so she did.

Loki had been sitting near the back of the dining hall, watching the small girl yell boisterously at the top of her lungs. He had been allowed back to his room, while accompanied by a guard, to change into some better clothes. On his return, he'd assumed to get right down to business - not see the girl tell a story about her dead brother, swinging the fork she had in her hand wildly about. He thought it was amusing, in all honesty, until he realized her behavior reminded him of Thor. Loki's small unconscious smile immediately vanished and he stood from his seat, taking long, even strides over to her.

"Then Marek emerged from the mine with two men, one under each arm!" She bellowed, plopping back down into her seat. "They both would have died if he hadn't gone back for them."

"Your brother was a hero, Nora, and you should be very proud of him. I'm sure the afterlife will treat him well." Thor said, causing Nora to blush with pride. Her glow didn't last long though, as Loki seemed to have materialized next to her.

"I assume you're ready for our first session," He said bluntly. Nora turned her head up, surprised to see how much a person could change after washing their hair and getting a new set of clothes. She lifted her eyebrows at him, noticeably scanning his body till she reached his slightly confused expression.

"You clean up nice, huh?" She teased, letting out a laugh. Nora tilted the goblet she had in her hand forward to take a drink, only to find it empty.

Loki now lifted his eyebrows as well, which was accompanied by a good humored smile. "I'm guessing the drink was to your liking?" He teased. Thor joined in the conversation now, shaking his head slightly, the ghost of a grin on his lips.

"I had forgotten our guest was not used to the potency of our mead brother, my apologies if this interferes with your session."

"It may," He said plainly, "Now come along girl, I don't want this to take any longer than it has to." And with that, Loki turned on his heel and started towards the exit, Nora stumbling close behind him.

* * *

The two walked in silence down the hall, Nora occasionally looking up at Loki with a pleasant expression, hoping for some kind of conversation. After several minutes of him pretending not to notice, he stopped, turning to her and glancing down.

"Is there something you _need_ girl?" Loki spat out in an irritated manner. Her smile immediately wilted and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"Well, I figured if you're about to get into my head and stuff, we should talk a bit. Learn a little about each other before you go digging around."

Loki regarded her for a moment before starting to walk again, his hands clasp behind his back.

"It's unnecessary. I won't be looking at any other memories."

Nora let out a sigh and hurried to catch up to him, placing herself in his path. Loki let his hands drop to his sides in exasperation.

"You can at least apologize to me. The pain you put me through in that cell was uncalled for..."

Loki clicked his tongue in annoyance and leaned in to be at eye level with the young girl, his presence completely overwhelming next to her small frame.

"You want an apology? For what, pray tell? I was merely giving you a stern lesson on how to treat your betters." He hissed. Loki started to move closer to her now, forcing her to press against the wall. His arm shot out above her head, allowing him to lean in even more - his brow furrowed. "You need to watch your tone mortal - I don't take kindly to people who don't know their place."

Loki didn't break his burning stare until he heard Nora let out a nervous breath, her face contorted in a mix of fear and submissiveness. Smiling wickedly, he pulled away from her, straightening his outfit and turning away.

"My room is here," He said evenly, gesturing over to the elaborate door to the left of them. He waited for her to regain composure before stepping inside, soon positioning himself cross-legged on a soft green mat in the middle of the floor. Nora stood in the doorway for a moment, a little unsure if she had made the right decision when agreeing to do this alone with him. She could tell he was a bit of a mean spirited individual– but she had no idea to what extent until now. Loki smoothed out the wrinkles in the blanket he was on then looked up at her expectantly, his expression placid and his eyebrows raised. Nora shifted uneasily before walking over, sitting as far back on the mat away from him as possible.

Loki sighed, leaning forward and placing his forehead in the palm of his hand. From this position he glanced up at her, giving Nora a look that indicated her presences was exceedingly vexing to him.

"I understand you have not done this before," He began, his jaw tight, "but you must be sitting close enough for me to physically touch you."

Nora's eyes went wide at his seemingly inappropriate comment and he straightened his posture, giving her a scoff of disgust.

"Do not flatter yourself girl, I merely need to place my hands on your head – I am not at all tempted to touch elsewhere. Believe me."

It was now Nora's turn to be a little offended, but she figured his aversion to her was probably a blessing in disguise. She huffed and shifted herself closer to him, wrinkling the blanket they were sitting on in the process. Loki watched the mat he had just straightened out bunch up under her rear end and grunted, pinching his eyes between his thumb and pointer finger.

"Fine, just please - sit still. I'm going to get this done as quickly as possible." And with that, Loki reached out and placed both of his hands on either side of her head. Nora noticed how cold they seemed, and she flinched away at first when he touched her. She sat there, wide-eyed for awhile, Feeling awkward looking at him so focused with his eyes closed - so she did the same. They sat in silence for a while, Nora questioning if anything was actually going to happen, when she felt him. It was weird – the light pulsating in her head was almost negligible at first, but it started to grow. She winced slightly as his grip on her head became tighter, and she opened her eyes to see his face contorted in frustration. He must have felt her watching, because he too opened his eyes then pulled away.

Loki seemed to cuss under his breath as he lifted himself from the floor, his aggravation obvious. The girl's mind was a complete mess – the few memories he was able to see were scattered and disjointed. A couple flashes of her family, the news of her brother's death, and the tearful goodbye's of her parents. Nothing he wanted to see. Nora wobbled to her feet and caught herself on the side of a bookcase, her head feeling dizzy after he hastily pulled out of her thoughts.

"What did you see? Did you recognize anything?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"Hardly," He spat, "All I was able to see in your intoxicated and fragile mind were flashes of your family. You're obviously in no condition to endure this today - leave. I'll summon for you tomorrow." Loki turned from her now, running his long pale fingers through his black hair before stepping over to a full sized window.

Nora had steadied herself now, her head almost fully clear. She watched him as he stood by the window, his back straight and tense, and wondered how someone as jovial and kind as Thor could be related to a man so empty. She mimicked his action and turned from him, getting ready to head towards the door when she paused, shifting to face him.

"You're lucky to have a brother who cares about you so deeply. It would be foolish to ignore it, to be honest, you never know when you might lose him."

Loki whipped around now, his eyes filled with unbelievable rage and confusion. He stalked towards her before Nora was able to move and gripped onto her arm tightly, pulling her to him.

"You are not allowed to speak about what you do not understand," He said, his voice quivering in anger, "Thor is not my brother, Odin not my father. We are not related by blood." He let out a painful chuckle and tugged her closer, his breathing uneven, "You see, girl, I'm the monster mother's tell their children about at night. I'm no Asgardian. " He flashed a pair of red eyes at her before letting Nora fall back a bit, his breathing becoming steady again. Loki kept his grip on her tight, though, and was perplexed as the girl mirrored his stern gaze.

"My brother and I aren't related by blood," She said, being as firm as she could.

"Then he, too, was not your brother," He replied slowly, "and I think you mean _were_ - as we are speaking in the past tense, are we not?" Loki let her go now, backing away from the girl when he saw the devastation and pain on her face. "I did not mean to-," He paused, waving his hand in front of himself as he tried to clear the air, "-to say it like that. You may feel for this boy however you wish."

Nora nodded at him, convinced this was probably the closest she was going to get to an apology. "Have a good night Loki," She said, her body half way out the door, "and just so you know, you're not a monster. At least not for the reasons you like to think." He stood in shock for a moment, but before he could start to protest, Nora left.

* * *

**So look! An update! I'll probably be posting a new chapter every week or two - but with finals coming up soon, it may take a little longer. Trust me, I'd much rather be writing/drawing Loki things then doing management and finance studying. But, alas, not how my life works. **

**Anyway, the chapter. So this turned out to be significantly longer then I wanted it too, but there was just so much I needed to say and have done. I'm really trying to develop their relationship slowly and as realistically as possible. Though I'm all for purely sexy fanfiction, it always rubs me the wrong way to see the two characters just fall in love and get it on right off the bat. I hope you all bear with me! This fanfiction is going to end up being 11+ chapters if all goes as planned. **

**P.S. I like making Loki an ass sometimes - I think it makes it all the more heartwarming when he finally chills out later.  
**

**Also - I drew things. They are on my front page :) I'll be posting doodles every few chapters.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I would just like to make a shout out to my wonderful reviewers. Seriously, no joke, you guys keep me going. I make the most inhuman noises when I get a review in my inbox, and I cherish every single one of them. They really let me know that people like my writing and it just makes me want to sit down and finish ALL THE CHAPTERS. **

**A nice person (guest): You're lovely. Thank you for reviewing and actually taking the time to tell me what you like! I get all giddy waiting to hear from you. **

**Guest: The newest reviewer, you have no name, but I love you nonetheless. I'm so happy you hear you think I keep him in character, because that is something I really strive to accomplish. No worries though, I'll fix that complaint soon! I have no plans on not finishing this story. **

* * *

The last thing Loki had expected to be doing the next morning was standing in the men's bathhouse, towel in hand, staring at the half naked back of a woman. Not just any women, mind you, but Nora. The one Odin and Thor had decided to saddle him with in a brash attempt to figure out if Asgard was in some type of danger. Seeing her like this was not part of the deal -though he wasn't exactly displeased.

He'd woken up early that day, determined to get to the bathhouse before the rest of the men got up. It's not that he was ashamed of being naked around them, which was normal, he just wasn't in any hurry to have Thor start up a heart to heart conversation about the _good old days_. That, and he wasn't exactly convinced his brother had out grown his childhood pranks, which usually involved splashing, wrestling, and a whole array of activities Loki was just not in the mood for today. Not that he was ever in the mood for it back then either. All he wanted to do today was take a relaxing bath, have his tea, and finish up his session with that irritating girl as soon as possible.

All these thoughts were quickly pushed away when he entered in to the bathing room, his walk frozen in mid stride. He almost thought he was seeing things at first, because what lady of Asgard couldn't tell the difference between the men's bath and the women's? The answer hit him rather quickly - as her dark skin, dappled in light scars, was a dead giveaway. Loki remained completely still, as if he had stumbled onto some exceedingly dangerous animal in the woods. Did she not think to ask? It would have been much simpler for her to have inquired with a servant, rather than guessing and accidentally picking the wrong one. Or perhaps she was waiting for someone?

It wasn't long before a devilish idea slipped into Loki's head, and he wasted no time acting upon it. With a smile on his face, and a slight flick of his wrist, a scream engulfed the room. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched the girl frantically crawl her way out of the now freezing pool. Loki averted his gaze politely when she emerged from the water, waiting till he was sure Nora was wrapped tightly in a towel before turning back to her.

"What the hell!" She screamed, whipping her head around to look at him.

"It was just a bit of fun," He teased, sticking his tongue between his teeth playfully, "I could have done much worse." Nora stormed towards him now, the intensity in her face only diminished by her shivering body. Loki's gaze unconsciously trailed down away from her enraged expression to her chest, his grin slowly fading as she got closer to him. The mortal was far from being unattractive, he could admit to that, but she wasn't a goddess either - being so short. which, if he was being honest, wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He quite liked the notion of how easy it would be to overtake her. All the women he'd been with in the past were tall enough to at least reach his jaw, but her? She'd be lucky to reach the top of his chest. In terms of a womanly figure, she fell lacking. Her legs and arms were toned, probably from the work in the mines she'd mentioned before, and her body had only a slight curve to it - but there wasn't enough meat on the girl's hips to give her any noticeable shape. Despite this, he thought she actually looked better on the thinner side, any more curves and her size would do her no favors. Loki couldn't see himself realistically bedding her though, what with her imprudent attitude. But he was quite happy just to look.

"This is extremely inappropriate!" Nora yelled, her tiny body just inches away from him. His eyes flashed up at her face now and his smile returned.

"Oh, _I'm_ being inappropriate?" He chuckled, "I'm not the one in the men's bath house -You little minx, were you waiting for someone? You must have been so disappointed when I showed up instead." The last part came out a little more bitterly then he would have liked, but the look on her face was enough to keep the smirk on his lips.

"I'm in the-" She spun away from him look around the room, her hair flipping with her spraying water on his face. Loki winced and gripped her shoulders, turning her around to look at him.

"Yes. This is _indeed_ the men's bath house you silly girl. Did you truly not know? How could you not have simply _asked_?"

Nora's eyes locked with his, her mouth agape at the shock of the whole situation. She blinked now, trying to focus.

"The sun raises so late here, I woke up and it was still dark out. Instead of waking someone up I just decided to walk around, and that's when I passed by that door," She motioned her eyes to the entrance of the bath, "I could feel the heat while I walked by - I just couldn't help but come in. It's been so long since I've been able to have a hot bath. That, and I was still covered in a layer of mud and blood."

Loki let go of her shoulders now and rubbed them dry on his towel, satisfied that she, indeed, was not waiting for anyone. This, of course, is when Nora actually registered the last part of his comment. A look of perplexed shock blanketed her face and she shook her head.

"Wait, did you seriously think I was in here to meet a man?" She let out a sarcastic laugh, "Yes, because the first thing I think about after having my planet invaded is hooking up." Loki grunted at her and turned away, walking over to a bench near the pool to place his towel on.

"Well it's obvious now that it was your ignorance, not lust, which caused you to be here. But please, pardon me for thinking you'd be bright enough not to accidentally lounge around the men's bath naked. I would suggest you be on your way though, girl, as this place is going to be filled with its intended gender soon."

Nora's eyes widened before she gave him a slight nod, turning from him and exiting the bath house as quickly as she could without slipping on the wet floor. Not minutes after Nora left, several men, including Thor, walked into the bath. He decided to neglect telling Thor not only about Nora, but the temperature of the water.

* * *

He found her in the library this time, and it was not even an hour after their last encounter. This was, in his opinion, also a very surprising place to have run into her. Loki always felt the library was _his_ place of peace, as very few people of Asgard ventured in. He had spent many of his hours here, as both a child an adult, and was hardly ever disturbed.

He had stopped by to pick out a few new books for his chambers and was shocked to see her standing in one of the isles, her head arched up staring at a book on the top shelf. Her posture gave off a feeling of frustration and urgency that he hadn't seen in her before. Loki paused for a moment, debating with his urge to walk away, and the horrible burning curiosity of what book she could be vexing over so intensely. He mulled it over briefly before advancing towards her, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Nora didn't even seem to notice when he positioned himself next to her, looking up in the same direction she was.

"Which book has caught your attention so fiercely?" He questioned, his eyes, like hers, never leaving the shelf. It took her a second before she answered.

"That one there," She said while pointing. Loki cocked his head slightly and leaned forward, trying his best to follow her gesture.

"Which one?"

"That one," she repeated. Nora moved closer to him, her body slightly brushing up to his as she attempted to line his gaze with her arm. "The large one there, with the gold trim."

Loki flinched slightly at the contact but regained his composure quickly, now seeing the book she'd been indicating. He glanced down at her now, amused that she had to get on her tip toes to try and point.

"I suppose you need some assistance getting it down?"

She finally turned to face him, her brow arched. "Yes, I could use some help getting it down." Loki's grin widened and he turned back to the book. With just a slight movement of his hand the book removed itself from the shelf and floated down into his grasp. Nora's eyes widened and she took it from him, running her fingers over the old leather binding.

"You know, your magic is really impressive. Even if you do use it for unsavory things now and again." Her eyes motioned to meet his and the corner of her lips quirked up, her comment indicating their earlier incident. Loki straighten his posture and gave her a nod, his ego obviously enjoying the attention. He was, however, surprised to see her brush past him without another word. He turned to follow her.

"So, may I ask why you're so interested in that particular book? It's one of the few here whose language I can't read - hence why it's kept tucked away in the back of the library."

Nora placed the large book at one of the tables and pulled out a chair. She took a seat before gesturing at him to use the one next to her.

"You can't read this?" She asked, opening the book gingerly as he sat down with her. "I guess that's not too surprising. I wouldn't expect you to know our language if you didn't even know my species existed before yesterday." Nora couldn't stifle a small smile at the look of interest on Loki's face, it was one of the few occasions when his features weren't contorted into a smirk or frown. She liked it.

"This is your language?" He asked in slight amazement while inching his chair closer to her and the book. "I'd looked over these pages in my youth, but sadly gave up as I had no way to translate it. That, and many of the pages are faded or blacked out. "

"I'd be happy to tell you what it says. Trust me, I'm as surprised as you are that a book from my people ended up in _your _library."

"How is it that you're able to speak with me, if this is your native tongue?" He questioned.

"The people who enslaved us spoke like you do," She said, her attention still mostly on the page in front of her, "We had to learn." Nora didn't wait for him to ask any more questions, and started to read - her lips silently mouthing the words as her finger ran down the page. Loki watched as her expression changed from mild curiosity to complete confusion.

"What," Loki questioned, leaning over the table to get a better look at the book, "What does it say?"

"It says - that my home planet, Kolmarden, was once part of the 9 realms. It was called the 10 realms then. From what I am able read, due to the faded words, the Myrkviðr and Asgardians did not get along. We apparently refused to fight in several wars that Búri had started - so as punishment, he banished our realm. He removed almost all record of our existence within the realms to make sure that we, like him, could not ask for aid if we went into battle." Nora paused to flip to the next page, only to find it mostly scribbled out. As she leafed through the rest of the book her frustration grew - most of the pages were either defaced or vanished with time. "The only other thing I can make out is that the Myrkviðr are forbidden from entering the 9 realms, and that to do so is punishable by death."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Loki spoke up.

"Buri, father of Borr and grandfather of Odin," he said factually, lifting himself from his chair. "He was not a kind man - from what I've been told. But to banish a whole realm?" He scoffed. He really shouldn't be all that surprised, what with this man being related to Odin. The All-Father wasn't exactly known for his pleasant nature - but then again, neither was he.

"I wonder if Odin knows," Nora said idly, her hand placed on the cover of the now closed book. "If he doesn't, do you think he'll kill me once he finds out?" She left out a painful laugh and clenched the book to her chest. "I was going to ask him to help me get home. Once all of this was over, and once I helped protect Asgard from the same fate as my people, I thought he would be more than happy to send me back."

"Odin does not have to know," Loki said evenly, "It's fortunate that this section of the library is shielded from Heimdall - I made sure of that years before my incarceration. It may be a problem, though, if you ask him to send you to Kolmarden - as if he does know of your ancestry, there is no telling what he might do."

"It doesn't really matter," She said softly, "I've tried not to think about it too much - but I don't know how many of my people are left. Those things just came and destroyed everyone while I was escaping, I have no idea if my parents survived or not - if _any_ of the Myrkviðr survived."

Loki lingered behind her chair now, his gaze fixated on the back of her head. He understood her fear and loneliness all too well. To be in a place where your species is not wanted and to have the concept of home be a foreign and fleeting dream. He didn't necessarily feel upset about this whole thing, but he could empathize with her. Pity her.

"Keep the book," He said breaking the silence.

"Are you sure? I can just take it?" She turned in her chair to look at him, the restraining of tears obvious in her face.

"Well, you're not allowed too - but you can. I won't tell if you won't." Loki said with a slight smile. "Now come along, we have a session to get done."

* * *

**Hello wonderful people! Exams are over, which means I have time to actually write things! Yay! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, now that Loki is finally accepting that he's stuck with this girl for awhile and that he may as well not be a complete asshole all of the time. I'd also like to mention that this is major AU (alternate universe)? Obviously? Look at me, just pulling a whole new realm out of my butt. I'll make it work out though, I promise! So stay with me. (shit goes down in the next chapter people, so stay ready. I will probably have it done by next week sometime.)**

**I doodled some things for this chapter. Enjoy. They are on my profile :)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**AH! REVIEWS! I love you folks - really. **

**Leo: Thank you so much, I'm really happy to see you like this story so far :)**

**A Nice Person: You're so wonderful! I'm trying to play up other sides rather then just stick with his angry one - nice to see people like it! (I will continue to flatter you btw.)**

**Megu: That's so kind of you too say! Makes me giddy to know my doodles are liked :3 (I know, I had all these feels when writing that monster part. I wanted to reach in the story and hug the shit out of him.)**

**Thanks guys - enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The pair exited the library together, Loki's austere mannerisms back in place, and Nora clutching the sizable book close to her chest. She wasn't sure what to make of all this, but she had a feeling that her invaders didn't choose the slave planet on accident. They knew full well what realm they were in. She turned to speak to Loki about her concerns, but she stopped when he slowly placed a finger to his lips.

"We cannot speak specifics about your people out here in the hall," He said lightly, "avoid mentioning any names, I'll let you know when it is appropriate to discuss such matters." Nora nodded at him slightly, turning her gaze back to the long corridor in front of her.

"Your skill is very impressive," Nora said, her eyes still focused ahead of her, "I'd go into details, but.." She motioned around them now, indicating they were probably being watched, and talking about spells that could hide them from said watchers was probably a bad idea. Loki chuckled, pleased by her admiration. But then again, why shouldn't she be impressed? He _was_ very talented, a masterof the magic arts. It would be shocking for her not to stand in awe of him and his power.

"Good to know you have eyes, girl, it would be improper of you not to acknowledge a God and his talents."

Nora stopped in the hall and stared at him, her once pleasant smile now turned into a mocking one.

"You fancy yourself a _God_, Loki?" She said with an incredulous look.

He too now stopped, turning to her with an aura of hurtful astonishment. Had her realm really been separated_ that_ long? She was a mere mortal, how could Buri, of all people, not have shown her species their place?

"Fancy myself a God? You simple mortal, I _am_ a God. Especially to the likes of you." He hissed, his pride obviously wounded.

"You're immortal then?" She questioned.

"More or less, yes." Loki retorted.

Nora laughed in spite of herself, only muffling her chuckles once she noticed his heated glare. He had a complex, that was for sure. Was he a prince? Yes, she could admit to that. His father was a king after all, but to call himself a God? Her people had done away with the idea of higher powers hundreds of years ago. From what her mother had told her, the only thing the Myrkviðr worshiped was their planet.

"You are fortunate, mortal, that I'm quite fond of being free from my cell. Otherwise I'd take great pleasure in showing you your place." He seethed, leaning towards her. Nora moved away from him quickly, taking a few steps backwards down the hall. He may not be a God, but that didn't mean she was foolish enough to tease him further. She did have _some _self-preservation instincts under all her stubbornness. However, she did have one last question. Nora hesitated for a moment, unsure if her inquiry would come off as rude.

"You said, more or less, right?" She started, doing her best to keep a good natured smile on her face. "How long do your people live exactly?"

Loki's posture relaxed and she could tell instantly that they must live a very long time. Otherwise he wouldn't look so pleased with her question, which he obviously had an impressive answer for.

He couldn't really tell if he liked this girl or not. Her incessant chatter was beyond irritating, but he couldn't exactly be upset. Her search for answers, for knowledge, was admirable. It reminded him of himself. The girl's bravery was also impressive - though bravery was just an exceedingly kind word for stupidity. A trait that she and his _brother_ both shared.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Loki said cheekily, "How long does your feeble little species last?"

"I'm a hundred and five," She said, hoping for some sort of surprised reaction. When his face remained indifferent, she continued, "Which, of course, is nothing. When we lived on our planet, the Myrk-" She stopped herself quickly, remembering not to say names. "My _people_ were known to reach six hundred years."

"Oh, so you're just a _glorified_ mortal then - And a young one at that in comparison." Loki chuckled, "My dear, I'm _currently _twice that of your lifespan." He waited for _her_ surprised reaction, which he readily got.

"You're over a thousand?" Nora gawked, absentmindedly stepping towards him to inspect his face, "You don't look too much older then I - that's incredible."

"And that's the attitude you should continue to have about me." Loki leaned up against one of the many large golden columns that lined the hall, his body, for once, looking small when placed up to such a large object. Nora was very much out of her depth - and questioned idly if she had made a mistake in dismissing his notions of godliness so quickly. Over a thousand, and he looked fantastic, lively, _handsome_. She scanned him now, visibly stiffening as her eyes traveled down from his face to his feet. Fine - he was _very_ handsome. High cheek bones, intense green eyes, and a smile that would make any honest women blush. But she wasn't foolish, Loki was the type of man you admired from afar, not one you throw yourself at with reckless abandon. Nora took a breath and her gaze shot back up to meet his. They lingered like this for only a second, as if he had heard every one of her thoughts, before Loki broke the stare and looked down the hall.

"Enough chatter, I hope to get as much information as I can during this next session. It's a bit of a walk back to my quarters from here, so we should get moving."

Nora shook her head, trying to expel the haze that had overtaken it during their little staring contest. "We could just use Thor's room, right?" She said idly, her mind not fully clear, "It's just four doors down this hall."

Loki lifted his back from the column, his facial features creased in confusion.

"How, pray tell, do you know which room is Thor's?" He said steadily, trying his best to suppress an accusatory glare.

Nora turned her head towards him, mimicking his confusion - lifting a brow at him indicating the answer was obvious.

"I can smell the room from here, it's basically overwhelming. The scent almost completely masks out Sif, who stays in a room down that hall over there." She said while pointing. Nora turned her attention back to Loki, who continued to look perplexed.

"I'm going to assume you _can't_ identify people by their smell," She said uneasily, now very embarrassed with her head clear, "Our people live mostly underground, building our homes in the roots of trees, not exactly the best environment for seeing each other." She joked, "For instance, Thor is a mix of mead and some sort of honey. Sif smells of steel and flowers, and-" Loki interrupted her now, a somewhat playful smile on his lips.

"And myself?" He asked, cocking is head to the side slightly, "Am I that easy to identify?"

Nora averted her eyes from him, feeling a slightly abashed. She'd never had to describe a person's smell directly to them, it was personal. It was like trying to tell someone the unique, quirky mannerisms they had that allowed you to spot them out in a crowd instantly.

"Leather," She began, now looking back up to his face, "mostly leather, to be honest, and mint. There's something beneath those two, though, a feeling that makes my noise tingle - like when you walk outside after it's snowed. It smells fresh, like ice."

Loki's smile dimmed only slightly at her last remark, his eyes searching her face for some type of reaction.

"You don't seem too surprised little mortal, do you know why?" He asked, stepping towards her.

"I do. Thor talked to me last night after you told me to leave. He caught me on my way back to my guest room, and got concerned when he saw how shaken I looked." Nora smoothed a few strands of lose hair back on her head, "You're a Frost Giant."

"Are you not afraid?"

"Should I be?" She questioned. "I didn't even know about Asgardians' before yesterday - I didn't know about _any_ other races before yesterday. I think it would be rather presumptuous of me to be afraid of a species I've never met before."

Loki mulled over her answer for a moment, finding it rather refreshing to have someone not cringe in fear once realizing what he was. It was a bit of a blessing, it seemed, that her species was so severely cut off from the rest of the realms. Otherwise, her reaction would not have been the same - he was sure. Loki put his attention back on Nora, her face pensive as she tried to figure out his emotions. It was actually pathetically cute, in a way. She'd never be able to read him.

"Now what surprises me," He said suddenly, his whole demeanor changing like a light switch, "Is the mint. I have a cup of tea every morning, but I had no idea it permeated my being so completely." He joked.

"At least you have a pleasant smell," She laughed, "I had a friend once who-" Nora stopped. There was something coming down the hall to the right of them, making almost no noise. She wouldn't have actually heard the noise, in truth, if she hadn't recoiled in disgust at the stench first. She knew this smell all too well - it had encompassed her whole planet on the night of the attack. _They were here_. Before Loki had a chance to ask her what was wrong, Nora gripped his chest and hauled him in-between two of the large golden pillars, shrouding them both in darkness.

"What are you doing?" Loki whispered harshly, his back smashed against one of the columns, and Nora pushed flat against his chest in the tight space. She placed her book on the ground and glanced out into the hall nervously.

"Sh-sh! Be quite!" She said under her breath, her fingers reaching up near his mouth in an attempt to silence him. Loki lifted a single brow, his eyes fixated on the tiny, impudent figure in front of him. He mused momentarily on how long it had been since he'd had a women this close, and also how long since someone had actually _tried _to silence him. Never had he been faced with a situation where he wanted to simultaneously punish a person for their insolence, while also craving the touch of the same individual. The girl's fingers hovered just inches from his lips, and he moved his gaze away from them to steal a look at Nora's face, who had happened to be staring back at him.

"Someone's out there," She whispered.

Nora's eyes, now in the dark, were nothing but glowing orbs. Loki remembered them like this from when he saw her in the dungeons. Her wide, nocturnal eyes which had darted about in panic before - now bore into him with intense urgency. She flashed the tiny moons out towards the hall, her breathing shallow and even on his chest. The fleeting moment of carnal want passed quickly, and Loki followed her gaze - now finally realizing they were, indeed, not alone. The two peered out, waiting for whoever was in the hall to pass in front of their hiding place.

"I don't get it," Nora said in a hushed voice, "I know they're out there."

"They are," Loki replied, "look there - see how the door is warped slightly? They're cloaking themselves. A pair of them."

Loki started to inch his way out from the columns, his head beginning to poke out into the light before Nora gripped his sleeve. His eyes darted to her quickly, and the sides of his mouth turned up in amusement.

"Do you fear for me girl?" He asked, his words coming out facetiously.

"Of course I do," She hissed, "You don't have a weapon! You're going to get yourself killed."

Loki let out a short laugh before holding his hand up to her view - a long, sharp ice dagger forming in his palm. "You have such little faith in my talents." He whispered, a conceited smile stretched across his face. "Now stay put."

Nora ducked further back into the shadows as she watched Loki stalk out, his body crouched and his hand gripping the frozen weapon tightly. She almost couldn't believe how effortlessly he threw the dagger into the back of one attacker, before forming a second in his hand and stabbing the other. Nora grinned widely in the shadows. She was about to walk out and congratulate - well, gush - about how amazing that just was, when she noticed a shimmer. The same shimmer he had pointed out to her before -but it was moving towards him. There was a third alien, and Loki didn't seem to notice yet. On instinct, Nora picked up the enormous book off the floor and dashed out from the shadows, lifting it above her head and slamming it down on, what she could only assume, to be the back of its head.

The cloaking that had surrounded the creature quickly vanished, and Nora backed up in fear as it whipped around to her - its mouth opening wide to release a furious scream. The screech was soon cut short and the alien faltered in front of her - a very large ice spear sticking several inches out of its chest. Nora side stepped when Loki pushed it forward, a loud thud echoing through the halls when it hit the ground. She gawked down at the dead creature before tilting her head up to beam at him.

"Did you see what I just did?" Nora cried out, clutching her mighty, blunt weapon to her chest. Loki examined her for a second, trying to figure out if she was being serious or not.

"You mean how you moderately irritated a Chitauri? Yes, I saw." He said dully.

"Irritated it? I just saved your life." She replied proudly. "I distracted it - so you could kill it! I can't believe you were able to take them down so easily."

Loki let out a cackle and placed a hand on her shoulder, his mood brightening after a good fight. "Whatever you wish to think little mortal," He remarked, "and I'll tell you this, I will bow to Odin the day I allow something as vile as a Chitauri to kill _either_ of us."

Nora grinned and only faltered slightly at his odd comment. "You know, you never told me why you were in those dungeons." She said slowly. Loki's eyes darted across her face - his smile still in place, and his hand still gripping her shoulder.

"A story for another time dear." Loki said, his face still pleasant but his sullen tone betraying it. "What I would like to talk about, though, are these disgusting vermin. I can't believe they had the gull to come and find me."

"Come and find _you?_" Nora said, perplexed. "They're here to get _me._ These _Chitauri_ are what invaded my planet."

Loki dipped his head to peer down at the body, his already light skin going pale. This was not at all good. Why attack her planet? How did they manage to get portal technology? Loki's eyes widen when a key component to the puzzle hit him - _Thanos._

* * *

His thoughts were cut short by the booming of Thor's voice and both he and Nora turned their heads to look at him. He was running down the hall towards them, Sif close to his side.

"Brother!" He shouted, finally reaching them. " Heimdall told me that we had intruders - but I can see you've already taken care of that." He said, looking down at the three bodies.

"Yes, I'm quite capable of dealing with a few Chitauri Thor - but I'm sure Odin will love to hear how I did it all on my own." Loki said, a wicked smile growing on his face. "You were _supposed_ to be watching me this whole time, but I'm confident he won't mind that you let the disgraced, homicidal prince of Asgard wander around by himself."

Thor's eyes widened slightly at his remark and he ran his fingers nervously through his hair. As he rambled to Loki about being _very_ busy dealing with issues in the other realms, and that he should not discuss his absence with father, Nora decided to give them some space. She moved several feet down the hall and turned the corner, resting her back on one of the walls. Nora knelt down onto her knees and placed the book at her side, running her fingers over the intricate designs on the leather cover. She was about to open the book to look through it again, when she heard something next to her move.

Nora's eyes shot over to the lifeless body of an alien on the floor, a small pool of purple blood forming under it. It couldn't possibly still be alive - could it? She eyed the group of three just a couple feet down the hall and crawled over to the body, being as cautious as possible. Nora leaned over the Chitauri, her fear slowly dissolving into anger. _this_ is what attacked her planet? A foul smelling, disgusting monster? It wasn't so tough now - not after having its guts cut out by a _God._ Nora paused for a moment, realizing what she had just referred to Loki as. She supposed he was, in some manner, a God. Since the first strike on her people she had wished, _prayed_, for nothing more than revenge. He'd answered that, in a way.

"You killed my people," She spat, clenching her hand and lifting it over her head in preparation to bring it down on the dead body, "You killed my _brother." _

Before she was able to slam her fist into the Chitauri, its eyes opened to lock with her own. In one swift movement the creature gripped a dagger out of its armor and swiped it across her stomach, staining her gray shirt crimson. Nora let out a scream while wrapping her arms around her stomach, doing her best to stop the bleeding. The three Asgardians turned their heads simultaneously, and it was Thor who pulled his weapon, Mjolnir, out first and threw it at the creature - sending it back into a wall with an echoing crash.

"Nora!" Sif yelled, running towards the dying girl on the floor. Thor knelt down beside her and Nora, reaching out to remove her arms from her wound.

"Let me see Lady Nora," He said calmly, but she lurched away from him, her body shivering.

"NO! -No." She said shakily, her figure curling up in a tight ball. "It'll be fine - just don't touch it, please."

"Enough, you weak little mortal." Loki spat, moving in-between Sif and his brother to get closer to Nora. "We must see the wound in order to _fix_ it girl - now remove your arms." When she did not comply, he reached out and gripped her limbs, pulling them back away from her stomach. His eyebrows raised only slightly at the amount of blood that poured out of the gash, and he pressed his hands onto it firmly.

"Go get the healer," Thor said, turning to Loki and Sif, "I will stay with the gi-"

"_No."_ Loki hissed, "This is _my _responsibility. I told her this would not happen, and it did. Hurry to get the healer - I doubt she has much longer."

* * *

**Hey guys! This chapter was so much fun, and things are finally starting to get intense. I really love the little moment between these two when they were in the columns - was legit so close to writing a random sexy one-shot (totes still might.)**

**I'll update soon! :)**

**Art for this chapter is on my profile! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N So this chapter took a lot longer than I had expected! Sorry guys - was totally not my intention. I jam packed a lot of fun **_**feels **_**into this chapter, so enjoy! **

**Oh, also -REVIEWS! EHHHHHH! I legit cry in happiness when I read all your amazing comments. I want to jump through the screen and hug every one of you~ **

**A Nice Person - Yes! She did go all badass with her book, kicking butt and taking names. I'm happy you loved their little "personal" section, it was my favorite to write as well. I've thought long and hard and decided I **_**will **_** be writing and incredibly sexy one-shot about that scene, but only after I've done the sexy part in this story. I feel like It'd be spoiling the punch line or something lol.**

**Kayla - I was seriously elated that my story is your favorite - all the giddy feelings! I'll continue to try and keep him in character!**

**Leo - Very happy to hear you liked this chapter! :D**

* * *

_"Did the scouting team make it through the portal? Was Asgard on the other side?" Thanos asked. The Other approached his throne, the dim lights of the ship shrouding the destroyer of worlds in shadow. _

_ "They have seen Asgard," The Other answered, his head bowed low, "But they will not return - the team has been slain by the one who failed us." _

_ "How long until we'll be able to open another portal?" He asked. _

_ "It requires much power - power I am not able to easily give. Several days of rest will allow me to keep it open for longer." _

_ Thanos nodded at him, his eyes staring vacantly and a small grin on his face. _

_ "Then we wait." _

* * *

Loki sat poised in a green trimmed chair, his only distinguishable movement was that of his finger - which idly traced circles over the cover of Nora's book. After the fiasco involving the Chitauri, Odin had to be informed. The AllFather was beside himself with anger when he found out that Thor had allowed Loki to move about the kingdom alone, and now insisted a guard be present at all times. Not that Loki really minded all that much, having a guard was basically the same as being alone - they were painfully easy to circumvent. The one that had been assigned to him at present, bold yet dim, currently stood outside his bedroom door.

After that had been settled, there was now the issue of how and why the Chitauri were in Asgard - and Loki had neglected to tell Thor or Odin anything. Though he was certain they both were aware he knew something, and he was sure they'd bother him about it later.

Loki had been staring vacantly at the wall across from him, and only looked down at the book when his finger came in contact with something damp. He stopped abruptly at the sight of blood and lifted his hand up, all his thoughts rushing back to the incident in the hallway. The frown that presently adorned his face deepened when he lifted the book to examine it, a third of the pages were drenched in blood. Nora's blood.

"_Stupid girl." _He thought to himself as he set the book down on the small table near his chair. "_She should not have been near the body - not have moved out of our sight. His sight." _Loki grimaced further and placed his face in his hands, aggravated by the situation. He wanted nothing more than to concentrate on the Chitauri - on Thanos - but he was horribly distracted. Thoughts of that _girl _and her current, dismal, condition kept creeping back into his mind. Loki hated not knowing her fate - and decided that he would rather her simply live or die then drag this out any longer.

His silent prayer was soon answered when a knock sounded at his door. Loki lifted his face from his hands quickly and stood out of his chair.

"Enter." He said, his voice authoritative. A young nurse peered around the door before fully opening it, and then bowed her head once she was completely in the room.

"Sir," She said cautiously, her eyes fixated on her feet, "I was told to inform you when the healers had finished with the girl. They've done all they could and she is now resting in the guest room."

"Will she live?"

"It is uncertain." She answered. "There was something on the blade, a type of poison, the wound is not healing as it should..."

Loki let out what sounded like a snarl and pushed passed her out the door, brushing by the guard as he did. The man turned his head in shock and followed behind prince, practically jogging to keep up with Loki's long legged stride. When he reached the guest room the guard attempted to enter with him, but Loki turned and gave him a heated glare.

"Odin has told me to stay with you." He said as steadily as he could.

"Then you will remain outside this room like you did before." Loki informed him, and promptly shut the door.

The room was quite, save the shallow breathing of the small, sweat covered figure in the bed. Loki approached her apprehensively, his gaze following the slow rise and fall of her chest.

"Girl?" He said curtly, moving to stand at the edge of her bed. Loki paused and he lingered by her side - he reached out tentatively to place a hand on her exposed shoulder. "Nora?"

She was unconscious. Loki placed the back of his hand on her head and his brow furrowed at the amount of heat he felt. In a swift motion he gripped the side of her blankets and peeled them off her body, her skin reacting and prickling at the cool air. He discreetly kept his eyes on the bandage wrapped around her abdomen. Loki hooked a single finger under the white fabric and pulled it back, revealing the red, inflamed, stitched skin. It looked horrible - but not fatal, as long as it was attended properly.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he now allowed his eyes to travel away from her wound. She had been stripped of all her clothes except for a pair of brown underwear and a long leather band around her chest. Without feeling his normal restraint under her accusatory looks, Loki took his time to examine her. The large scare he had seen on her back when he caught her bathing appeared to wrap around to her front, ending just inches from the bottom of her ribcage. His eyes roamed up till they reached her clavicle - where he now noticed that the small amount of freckles that embellished her face were also scattered around her shoulders. Unabashedly, he reached out and touched one, tracing his finger over her skin till he connected with the next. These small, seemingly irrelevant blemishes were so different, exotic even, from what he was used to seeing on Asgardians. Loki had noticed a few mortals on Midgard with the same markings, but thought nothing of them till now. He rather liked freckles.

Loki was abruptly shaken from his train of thought when Thor called through the door. He was able to hastily replace the covers over her exposed body before his brother boisterously entered the room.

"Brother!" He boomed, a smile stretching from ear to ear as he closed the door behind him. "I heard Nora had left the healing room, how-" Thor stopped suddenly at the sight of her, and his smile instantly drooped.

"I apologize," He said softly, reacting to not only Nora's fragile condition but Loki's scolding gaze, "I knew not of her condition. Will she make it?"

Loki turned his head back to look down at the girl, pursing his lips before responding. "It seems the blade was poisoned - but as long as it is taken care of properly, I think she will." Thor walked over to his brother to stand side by side in front of the bed. He hesitated for only a moment before he gripped Loki's shoulder tightly, giving him a firm shake.

"I do hope she pulls through - for her sake and _yours_."

"What?" Loki snapped, pushing his hand away. "Exactly what are you insinuating Thor?"

His brother gave him a reassuring smile, as if to tell him there was no need to lie. "You care for the girl - there is no shame in this."

"What I care about," Loki said aggressively, "is being out of my cell. As long as this girl continues to breath, I continue to be free." The air in the room became still and Thor shifted uncomfortably. "I am not you _brother_," Loki said while moving closer to Thor, "I do not have such trivial compassion for mortals - a boot feels nothing for _ants_."

Thor's eyes dropped away from Loki's gaze and a small, sad smile formed on his lips. "I pity you, brother. That you still think yourself so above them - or perhaps you've just gotten so good at lying, you've even got yourself fooled." Thor nodded at his brother before placing down an object on a chair Loki had not seen him bring in. He turned from the God of Mischief and left the room, letting him sit in the silence of his own lies.

"Such sentiment." Loki spat into the stillness. Thor and his unfathomable affection for mortals would end up being his undoing. _He _cared little about such creatures - be them glorified mortals or not. Nora - the girl - was simply his _way out. _If he kept up these silly little sessions long enough, he could find out more about Thanos - and have the upper hand on Asgard.

Loki now turned his attention to the weapon Thor had brought into the room - it was something he'd personally never seen before. He picked up the sharp object at its long, worn, wooden handle and examined the curved metal top. It seemed rather pointless to use in battle, and on scrutinizing it further, decided it was probably some sort of tool. The only truly interesting thing about it was the dark carvings that wrapped around the handle - black vines twisting and turning till they reached the metal top.

As this was something not of Asgard - Loki assumed it must be Nora's. He placed the tool gently on the table near her bedside and slowly shifted his head to peer down at her, his bottom jaw tensing slightly in irritation.

"Nothing but an _ant._" He said in affirmation, the reassuring lie calming his nerves. "Regardless, she still needs to live through this - and as the nurse has yet to come back - I'll wait." Loki gripped the back of a nearby chair and pulled it over to the girl's bedside, knowing full well a nurse would not return for hours unless summoned.

* * *

"I do not think continuing with the yearly banquet is a wise idea father." Thor said. It was later that night and both brother's stood in the throne room in front of Odin.

"I'm in agreement with Thor on this matter - Asgard has just been attacked, and you're thinking about a party?" Loki laughed and a large grin adorned his face. "I knew you were getting old Allfather, but I had no idea you were truly this senile."

"Silence." Odin said harshly, sending a sharp glare at his youngest son. "Asgard will be protected, as it always has. I do not want our people to worry needlessly - doing away with the banquet would only cause more concern. You will both be attending."

Thor and Loki turned to one another, their shared surprise apparent. Neither of them thought Odin, of all people, would _want _the forsaken, shameful prince in public.

"I will do no such thing." Loki said in contempt, "If this is some sort of tactic to get into my good standing - I assure you it won't work."

It was Odin's turn to laugh, and he pulled himself shakily from his throne. The king descended the small stairs that lead from his chair and approached the two men, his eyes never leaving Loki's.

"The only reason you are _alive _is the same reason you'll be attending this celebration. Your mother still remains to see the son she raised in you - it certainly only makes one of us."

Loki stood inhumanely still, returning the same cold stare his once father was giving him. This was not news to him, he'd known for hundreds of years that Odin preferred Thor - Loki's newest actions were just the excuse he needed to completely disown him. Any fond memories he ever had of this man were gone -only seething contempt remained. Frigga, on the other hand, though not his mother, was naively kind. Thor, seeing the obvious animosity of the two, stepped in.

"I will keep a close eye on him Father - you needn't worry of that. Loki has been very helpful thus far, and is exceedingly attentive to the gir-" Thor said, but his brother cut him off.

"Why must you continue to speak of the mortal as if she is of importance?" Loki said suddenly, breaking his ridged posture. Thor raised his hands in compliance and stopped talking, not wanting to set him off again on one of his superiority rants.

"The banquet is only in 2 days time, I would implore you to keep as many guards as possible out on patrol - this may be the perfect opportunity for attack." Thor said, now addressing his father. Odin gave his son a reassuring nod and turned from them, ascending back to his throne.

"Bring your brother back to his quarters - and make sure the guard is outside his door before you leave him." The king said, waving his hand at them in a dismissive manner. "Also," He added suddenly, his head cocked to one side, "Please make sure Loki is not to see this girl until she is better. He has no need to be around her while she is healing from her wounds."

Loki's mouth tightened into a thin line and he was about to object when he felt Thor grip his shoulder tightly. He snapped his head around to stare at his blond haired brother, who was giving him a firm look.

"I will make sure he stays in his room till Lady Nora is healed," Thor said, giving Odin a slight bow. He gave Loki a slight push, indicating to move, and the two walked out of the throne room.

* * *

Once in the hallway, Loki turned to Thor, a look of disgust coating his face.

"Must you always do as the AllFather says?" He snapped, "The girl has been _poisoned_ - an attending nurse will not be able to help if her condition worsens."

"I know." Thor replied calmly.

"If you listen to Odin this girl will die - If I am occasionally able to check on her progress she will heal. When she does, Asgard will be safe - is this not what you want?" Loki said hastily.

"It is, and I know." Thor said again, placing a hand on his younger brother's chest to stop him from walking forward. "This is why you will continue to check on her - several times a day while I am present."

Loki's eyebrows raised in disbelief, but lowered when he caught Thor's mocking smile. This buffoon still continued to think he cared for this mortal - that his insistence on seeing her was more than just his want for freedom.

"Need I remind you-" Loki began.

"You do not brother. I am aware of your disdain for mortals - there is no need to remind me." Thor replied. "I'll come to get you in early tomorrow so you may check on her wound, have a good rest, Loki. I now must get the guard for your room - so please stay inside till I arrive in the morn."

The younger brother nodded and entered his bedroom, the shutting of his door resonating through the dark, empty quarters. He was pleased that Thor would be disobeying Odin, something he hadn't seen him do since they'd ventured to Jotunheim together. Loki smiled fondly at the memory till he remembered the horrible realization that came out of that day. Some days, he'd wished the venture never happened. That he could have continued on in blissful ignorance. But his pride would not allow such a luxury. He was lied to, deceived, by the people he called his _family. _There was no forgiving that - and though he could not blame Thor, as he, like Loki, had been lied too - he couldn't help but be jealous.

The prince situated himself on the large bed in the middle of the room, his hands cupped in his lap. These were passed slights, not ones that were worth dwelling on now. Though he would never say it again, and regretted ever mentioning it before - Nora's current condition was on him, was his responsibility. He may be the God of lies, but he'd told that girl no harm would come to her - and he'd broken a word he'd said in earnest. Loki reveled in the thought of when this escapade would end - and he'd no longer be around a girl who daily had him questioning his position on mortals.

* * *

**ALL DEM FEELS. I'm sorry (not sorry) for this chapter. Poor Nora's unconscious, Loki has no idea how to handle the notion that he can actually **_**care **_**about another living creature, and Thor just such an intuitive older brother. (I love Thor if you guys haven't noticed. Not as much as Loki, but he's still wonderful.)**

**Doodles will be on my homepage later! I'll try and update soon! **

**EDIT: Doodles are now on my homepage :D**


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